Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell hospitalised in America while on vacation

The 41-year-old Hawthorn head coach was hospitalised with pneumonia three days before Christmas. He should make a full recovery. 

Hawthorn’s head coach Sam Mitchell was unfortunately hospitalised over the Christmas period while on vacation in the United States with his family. According to Mitch Cleary of 7News Melbourne,  Mitchell fell ill with pneumonia and was forced to spend Christmas Day in a New York City hospital.  

Christmas in a hospital bed for Mitchell 

Sam Mitchell was in the US for his Christmas break along with his wife Lyndall and their three children. However, Mitchell was not able to do much celebrating with his family on Christmas.  
 
The 41-year-old former Hawthorn player fell ill while in New York and was later hospitalised. Reports now claim Mitchell suffered from pneumonia over the weekend. 7News Melbourne’s Mitch Cleary  claims Mitchell was hospitalised on Friday in New York and was forced to spend the following days, including Christmas Day, in hospital.  
 
Mitchell is being treated at the New York University Hospital in New York. Thankfully, none of his family experienced any symptoms and are completely healthy. Mitchell should be joining them soon, says Hawthorn’s CEO.  

Hawthorn’s CEO gives update 

Being hospitalised, especially while abroad, is always a very scary thing, so fans began to speculate the worst about Mitchell and his health. He received an outpouring of support from Hawthorn and AFL fans all around the world. We now know that Mitchell will be back sooner rather than later, thankfully.  
 
Hawthorn Chief Executive Officer, Ashley Klein, revealed that the club have been in constant contact with Mitchell and his family, and have been providing support from the other side of the world.  
 
“The club has been in regular contact with Lyndall, and we will obviously continue to provide support in any way we can. We would like to express our thanks to the NYU hospital and its medical team for their care and support," explained the Hawthorn CEO. Klein, via a club statement released on Tuesday, also said “Sam is improving and recovering well." 

Big 2024 expected for Hawthorn 

Neither Klein nor Mitchell’s family have given a timetable for Mitchell’s return. Based on the club’s statement about his condition improving. Mitchell could be back soon after the turn of the year. Even if his return is delayed, Mitchell will have plenty of time to get up to speed before the start of the 2024 AFL season.  
 
Hawthorn’s first official preseason match is not until March. Mitchell’s side also has a bye in the opening round of the 2024 AFL season.  
 
Next year will be Mitchell’s third at the helm of his former club. Last season, Hawthorn finished near the bottom of the ladder. The word around Hawthorn is that this year will be a much better one.  
 
Key signings, like the acquisition of Collingwood’s Jack Ginnivan, has many fans feeling hopeful. Unfortunately, the betting sites expect yet another poor season for Hawks. 

PlayUp gives Hawthorn the third worst loss to win the 2024 AFL Premiership. The site also has Hawthorn near the bottom of their Make Top 4 and Make Top 8 betting markets. Other Australian betting sites have Hawthorns even lower than PlayUp does. Simply put, this could be a long year for Hawks.